Girls tennis: Cedar Grove Panthers focus on fundamentals

By Chris Leyden

Sports Editor |

Verona-Cedar Grove Times

For the second-straight summer the Cedar Grove girls tennis squad came to the first day of practice and saw a different coach than the year before, as math teacher Nick Mellina takes over at the helm of the program.

file photo by chris leyden/staff photographer

Yiqin Zhou, one of the returning seniors for Cedar Grove, swings during a match last season.

While the Panthers finished last season under .500, they did end up just two games out of first place in the Colonial Division. This fall the only team that finished ahead of them, Belleville, has moved up out of the division.

The problem for the Panthers is that half of their squad also departed, leaving only three players from last year's varsity team.

This, coupled with a slew of young, inexperienced players, has the new coach unsure of what exactly the team's goal is yet.

"It was definitely a curveball. I definitely came in expecting more," Mellina said. "Like teaching, it's a learning experience."

The first week of practice was spent focusing on forehand strokes, while the second week has been aimed at working on the backhand.

Mellina explained that he has broken the team into two groups, with more experienced players working with him on skill and strategy.

Another problem the new coach has run into is that some of the players he thinks will be contributors come September have other summer commitments.

The good news for the Panthers' program as a whole is that the squad should have 16 to 18 players, enough for a varsity and junior varsity squad.

Yiqin Zhou, one of the six seniors on the team, noted the departure of last season's graduating class, including first singles player Julie Lin.

"We lost a lot of good players, so we're trying to up everyone's level," she told the Times Tuesday.

Zhou said having a junior varsity squad will be great for some of the younger players. She recalled her freshman season, when there was no JV team and on match days she would just sit and watch the varsity players play.

As for the new coach, he played four years of varsity tennis at West Milford High School before focusing more on volleyball in college.

While there was also an opportunity to potentially coach volleyball at Cedar Grove, Mellina felt as though he knows the structure and fundamentals of tennis better.

Adjusting to his new position, he said he has used current boys coach, and former girls coach, Bob Dunn as a valuable resource.

"For me personally, it's going to be a learn through experience type of thing," he said.

Zhou said at practice Monday Mellina was teaching her a new way to serve, focusing on having her put more power behind the ball.

"It feels a little weird," she said with a laugh. "But I'm totally catching on. I'm learning a lot."

The Panthers open up the season with a cross-town showdown with Verona Monday, Sept. 8.

Until then Mellina and the Panthers will look to build upon the strokes they are perfecting in their first few weeks of practice.

"We definitely have kind of needed to take a step back," he said, "and look more at the fundamentals."

For the second-straight summer the Cedar Grove girls tennis squad came to the first day of practice and saw a different coach than the year before, as math teacher Nick Mellina takes over at the helm of the program.

While the Panthers finished last season under .500, they did end up just two games out of first place in the Colonial Division. This fall the only team that finished ahead of them, Belleville, has moved up out of the division.

The problem for the Panthers is that half of their squad also departed, leaving only three players from last year's varsity team.

This, coupled with a slew of young, inexperienced players, has the new coach unsure of what exactly the team's goal is yet.

"It was definitely a curveball. I definitely came in expecting more," Mellina said. "Like teaching, it's a learning experience."

The first week of practice was spent focusing on forehand strokes, while the second week has been aimed at working on the backhand.

Mellina explained that he has broken the team into two groups, with more experienced players working with him on skill and strategy.

Another problem the new coach has run into is that some of the players he thinks will be contributors come September have other summer commitments.

The good news for the Panthers' program as a whole is that the squad should have 16 to 18 players, enough for a varsity and junior varsity squad.

Yiqin Zhou, one of the six seniors on the team, noted the departure of last season's graduating class, including first singles player Julie Lin.

"We lost a lot of good players, so we're trying to up everyone's level," she told the Times Tuesday.

Zhou said having a junior varsity squad will be great for some of the younger players. She recalled her freshman season, when there was no JV team and on match days she would just sit and watch the varsity players play.

As for the new coach, he played four years of varsity tennis at West Milford High School before focusing more on volleyball in college.

While there was also an opportunity to potentially coach volleyball at Cedar Grove, Mellina felt as though he knows the structure and fundamentals of tennis better.

Adjusting to his new position, he said he has used current boys coach, and former girls coach, Bob Dunn as a valuable resource.

"For me personally, it's going to be a learn through experience type of thing," he said.

Zhou said at practice Monday Mellina was teaching her a new way to serve, focusing on having her put more power behind the ball.

"It feels a little weird," she said with a laugh. "But I'm totally catching on. I'm learning a lot."

The Panthers open up the season with a cross-town showdown with Verona Monday, Sept. 8.

Until then Mellina and the Panthers will look to build upon the strokes they are perfecting in their first few weeks of practice.

"We definitely have kind of needed to take a step back," he said, "and look more at the fundamentals."